Tweet
FINDING THE MIDDLE: THE REMARKABLE TALE OF THE TASHJIANS
http://armenianow.com/society/47626/armenian_genocide_ainjar_lebanon_armenians
SOCIETY | 12.07.13 | 15:40
NAZIK ARMENAKYAN
ArmeniaNow
By GAYANE MKRTCHYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
Ani, Peto and Arin have the same smile, same tears, same eyes. When
one starts crying, the others follow, and the small apartment gets
really noisy.
The triplets were born the same day, same hour, bringing great joy to
the Tashjian family.
Enlarge Photo
"First came Ani, she weighed 2.25 kilos, then 2.35 kg weighing Peto,
and last came Arin - 1.8 kilos. We say our children are true
Armenians, offspring of the Armenian water and soil," says 40-year-old
mother of the three Tamar Tashjian.
To the praise "you are a hero", Tamar responds: "It is the Lord's
will, I am so happy it all happened in Armenia!"
The proud father, Levon Tashjian lulls Peto and says "it is the name
of the brave".
The Tashjians are from Lebanon, their roots go back to Musa Ler's
Kheder Beg (Iddeir) village. Like many of the Musa Ler people, their
ancestors too found refuge in Anjar in 1939 and settled there.
"In 2008 we got married and that very year I paid my first visit to
Armenia and was overwhelmed with impressions. During the next four
years we kept coming and going, then finally decided to settle in our
motherland. The sound of Syrian bombs can be heard in the border town
of Anjar," tells Tamar.
Tamar has motion issues, she spends most of the time sitting; her
wheelchair stands in the corner of the room. Her husband assists her
to look after the triplets: he feeds and nurses them, and in general
is of great help to his physically challenged wife.
"Tamar's family and I were very close. When her brother died I started
paying frequent visits. Then her sister, mother and father died, and
Tamar was left all alone," recalls Levon. "One day I went to their
place, Tamar made coffee for me, and I told her: 'Tamar, if I asked
you to marry me, would you?' And she asked whether she could have
really been my choice. I said 'yes, you are a fine girl, and to me
your mind is what matters. I like you, so there it is!'"
Tamar interferes and continues the story: "Well, I am sorry to say,
but I was limping, so I could never have imagined he would propose..."
Levon, now 60, is a professional runner. In 1974 he won the Lebanon
championship. For years he represented Lebanon in many countries.
Tamar says her husband has won 69 cups and 150 medallions.
The unbreakable spirit of a Musa Ler native brought Levon to Karabakh
in 1992 (during the war), where he joined the Shushi battalion. After
the war, in 1994 he undertook a year of voluntary service in the
military, but because of lack of residency he soon returned to
Lebanon. In 1996 he traveled to Western Armenia (Eastern Turkey).
"I would wander around the cities, towns and villages, take photos of
historic Armenian monuments. Back then it was not an easy task, it was
forbidden, but I somehow found a way. When leaving [the ruins of
ancient Armenian capital] Ani I threw my camera into the River
Akhuryan and had the film hidden in my sock , when passing the
soldiers on guard," recalls Levon.
After his return, Levon held photo-exhibitions in Lebanon, Canada, the
USA, Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh, featuring the Armenian monuments in
the territory of modern day Turkey.
"During the exhibition in the United States Congressman Adam Schiff
came up to me (he represents the Armenian Cause at the US Congress)
and said that he was going to make the best use of my photos. For
seven seconds the photos were demonstrated to the Congress with one
purpose - to show the poor state the Armenian churches, bridges and
cross-stones were in Turkey," says Levon.
In 1999 in the morning of the ill-fated 27th of October, Levon visited
then parliament speaker Karen Demirchyan and gave him as a gift the
photos of Akhtamar's Surb Khach (Holy Cross) church and Ani's
Katoghikeh St. Astvatsatsin (St Mary Mother of God) cathedral. In the
evening he learnt with shock that Demirchyan had been killed (in the
armed attack at the parliament).
In 2005 Levon vowed to walk from Anjar to Musa Ler as a pilgrimage. In
ten days he crossed 750 kilometers. On the tip of Musa Ler (Moses
Mountain) he found the monument to the 18 heroes who died in the Musa
Dagh resistance (during the Armenian Genocide) in complete ruins.
"I decided to transfer the relics of the heroes to Lebanon. Taking
them across the Turkish border was a real challenge, because by that
country' law one would have to serve 25 years in prison for digging
out a grave and a special permission was required. But who would have
granted me a permission to transfer the remnants of those heroes?" he
says.
Today part of the relics are kept at Surb Poghos (St. Paul) church in
Anjar, some parts are buried in Armenia, next to the Musa Ler
monument, and the third part is in Canada's Cambridge city, where
natives of Musa Ler have built a monument, too.
Tamar tells with pride that Levon took her to see all of Western
Armenia, Syria and Armenia, in her wheelchair.
"When we were about to get engaged, the Lebanon leader [the Catholicos
of the Great House of Cilicia] asked me this: 'Levon is an athlete,
running so fast, and you are so slow,' he did not want to say
'limping'. How will that work out in life?' For a split of a second I
stood too shocked to speak, then said: 'Your holiness, we will find
the middle, in between fast and slow.' He responded: 'May God keep you
in peace, you will be a very good couple. Levon, I knew you were
crazy, but I did not know you were a brave crazy'," recalls Tamar.
They have decided to take a trip for a month to Anjar so that their
relatives get to know the children. It is hard to live in Yerevan,
Levon has employment issues, nonetheless that's where they are
planning to build their future.
"We will settle here, this is our country. Even if it's hard, if it is
Armenian, it is precious," says Tamar.
http://armenianow.com/society/47626/armenian_genocide_ainjar_lebanon_armenians
SOCIETY | 12.07.13 | 15:40
NAZIK ARMENAKYAN
ArmeniaNow
By GAYANE MKRTCHYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
Ani, Peto and Arin have the same smile, same tears, same eyes. When
one starts crying, the others follow, and the small apartment gets
really noisy.
The triplets were born the same day, same hour, bringing great joy to
the Tashjian family.
Enlarge Photo
"First came Ani, she weighed 2.25 kilos, then 2.35 kg weighing Peto,
and last came Arin - 1.8 kilos. We say our children are true
Armenians, offspring of the Armenian water and soil," says 40-year-old
mother of the three Tamar Tashjian.
To the praise "you are a hero", Tamar responds: "It is the Lord's
will, I am so happy it all happened in Armenia!"
The proud father, Levon Tashjian lulls Peto and says "it is the name
of the brave".
The Tashjians are from Lebanon, their roots go back to Musa Ler's
Kheder Beg (Iddeir) village. Like many of the Musa Ler people, their
ancestors too found refuge in Anjar in 1939 and settled there.
"In 2008 we got married and that very year I paid my first visit to
Armenia and was overwhelmed with impressions. During the next four
years we kept coming and going, then finally decided to settle in our
motherland. The sound of Syrian bombs can be heard in the border town
of Anjar," tells Tamar.
Tamar has motion issues, she spends most of the time sitting; her
wheelchair stands in the corner of the room. Her husband assists her
to look after the triplets: he feeds and nurses them, and in general
is of great help to his physically challenged wife.
"Tamar's family and I were very close. When her brother died I started
paying frequent visits. Then her sister, mother and father died, and
Tamar was left all alone," recalls Levon. "One day I went to their
place, Tamar made coffee for me, and I told her: 'Tamar, if I asked
you to marry me, would you?' And she asked whether she could have
really been my choice. I said 'yes, you are a fine girl, and to me
your mind is what matters. I like you, so there it is!'"
Tamar interferes and continues the story: "Well, I am sorry to say,
but I was limping, so I could never have imagined he would propose..."
Levon, now 60, is a professional runner. In 1974 he won the Lebanon
championship. For years he represented Lebanon in many countries.
Tamar says her husband has won 69 cups and 150 medallions.
The unbreakable spirit of a Musa Ler native brought Levon to Karabakh
in 1992 (during the war), where he joined the Shushi battalion. After
the war, in 1994 he undertook a year of voluntary service in the
military, but because of lack of residency he soon returned to
Lebanon. In 1996 he traveled to Western Armenia (Eastern Turkey).
"I would wander around the cities, towns and villages, take photos of
historic Armenian monuments. Back then it was not an easy task, it was
forbidden, but I somehow found a way. When leaving [the ruins of
ancient Armenian capital] Ani I threw my camera into the River
Akhuryan and had the film hidden in my sock , when passing the
soldiers on guard," recalls Levon.
After his return, Levon held photo-exhibitions in Lebanon, Canada, the
USA, Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh, featuring the Armenian monuments in
the territory of modern day Turkey.
"During the exhibition in the United States Congressman Adam Schiff
came up to me (he represents the Armenian Cause at the US Congress)
and said that he was going to make the best use of my photos. For
seven seconds the photos were demonstrated to the Congress with one
purpose - to show the poor state the Armenian churches, bridges and
cross-stones were in Turkey," says Levon.
In 1999 in the morning of the ill-fated 27th of October, Levon visited
then parliament speaker Karen Demirchyan and gave him as a gift the
photos of Akhtamar's Surb Khach (Holy Cross) church and Ani's
Katoghikeh St. Astvatsatsin (St Mary Mother of God) cathedral. In the
evening he learnt with shock that Demirchyan had been killed (in the
armed attack at the parliament).
In 2005 Levon vowed to walk from Anjar to Musa Ler as a pilgrimage. In
ten days he crossed 750 kilometers. On the tip of Musa Ler (Moses
Mountain) he found the monument to the 18 heroes who died in the Musa
Dagh resistance (during the Armenian Genocide) in complete ruins.
"I decided to transfer the relics of the heroes to Lebanon. Taking
them across the Turkish border was a real challenge, because by that
country' law one would have to serve 25 years in prison for digging
out a grave and a special permission was required. But who would have
granted me a permission to transfer the remnants of those heroes?" he
says.
Today part of the relics are kept at Surb Poghos (St. Paul) church in
Anjar, some parts are buried in Armenia, next to the Musa Ler
monument, and the third part is in Canada's Cambridge city, where
natives of Musa Ler have built a monument, too.
Tamar tells with pride that Levon took her to see all of Western
Armenia, Syria and Armenia, in her wheelchair.
"When we were about to get engaged, the Lebanon leader [the Catholicos
of the Great House of Cilicia] asked me this: 'Levon is an athlete,
running so fast, and you are so slow,' he did not want to say
'limping'. How will that work out in life?' For a split of a second I
stood too shocked to speak, then said: 'Your holiness, we will find
the middle, in between fast and slow.' He responded: 'May God keep you
in peace, you will be a very good couple. Levon, I knew you were
crazy, but I did not know you were a brave crazy'," recalls Tamar.
They have decided to take a trip for a month to Anjar so that their
relatives get to know the children. It is hard to live in Yerevan,
Levon has employment issues, nonetheless that's where they are
planning to build their future.
"We will settle here, this is our country. Even if it's hard, if it is
Armenian, it is precious," says Tamar.